Staffing

Requisites

Other requisites

Students wishing to complete a research pathway (4 credit point) must complete EDR8000 Foundation of Contemporary Research Methods and EDR8060 Masters Project I as co-requisites or prerequisites to EDR8061 Masters Project II

Rationale

An important outcome of study at the Masters level is that learners should be able to plan and execute independent projects which consolidate and build upon and apply the capabilities developed through their program of study. A 'capstone' project undertaken at, or towards, the end of the program is a suitable instrument for demonstrating these capabilities. This course enables students to synthesise the knowledge and skills developed in earlier courses of their program, into an approved professional project focused on a key aspect of their areas of interest/specialisations.

Synopsis

Learners will, with guidance from a member of Faculty staff, plan and execute an independent project which is clearly related to their overall program of study. This two-unit project is intended to meet the needs of learners who wish to include a research or evaluation component in their Masters program by providing a venue in which a research or evaluation project can be undertaken to apply and/or extend knowledge developed in their program of study. The project should lead to the preparation of a substantial written report presented at an appropriately scholarly standard. This report may be presented in the format of a research-based paper for publication in an approved academic or professional journal. Project reports must reflect mastery of the content of current literature and of knowledge and skills developed by the learner in his/her prior program. This course will operate on the basis of frequent individual consultation and feedback between the student and the staff member nominated as the study supervisor. Before enrolling in the course, the student should have discussed the proposed project with the course examiner and where possible with the Faculty member who would act as supervisor, PRIOR to submitting their project proposal for this course. NOTE: Before enrolling in the course, learners should have successfully completed a course in methods for research and/or evaluation or be able to demonstrate to the course examiner that they have otherwise acquired such knowledge and skills. Where possible, students should have discussed the proposed project with the Faculty member who would act as supervisor, PRIOR to submitting their project proposal for this course.

Objectives

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. The assessment item(s) that may be used to assess student achievement of an objective are shown in parenthesis. On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

demonstrate the ability to plan an in-depth, independent academic investigation, research/evaluation project or other such scholarly activity focused on a research question, issue or topic of significance to the student's field of study in his/her Masters program (Project Proposal for students enrolled in EDR8061 Masters Project II without enrolment in EDR8060 Masters Project I) OR

demonstrate the ability to implement, refine and monitor the implementation of that plan (Project Progress Report for students who have already completed a project proposal in EDR8060)

demonstrate the ability to report the outcomes of that investigation in the form of either a formal report or paper for publication, which reflects appropriate academic standards of scholarship and presentation. (Project Report)

Topics

The topic of the project will be developed in collaboration with an academic supervisor approved and appointed by the course examiner.

100.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from USQ's Online Bookshop (unless otherwise stated). (https://bookshop.usq.edu.au/bookweb/subject.cgi?year=2013&sem=01&subject1=EDR8061)

Student workload requirements

Assessment details

Description

Marks out of

Wtg (%)

Due Date

Notes

PROJECT PROPOSAL

15

15

03 Apr 2013

PROJECT REPORT

85

85

05 Jun 2013

Important assessment information

Attendance requirements:
There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the
student's responsibility to communicate regularly with the nominated supervisor
at agreed intervals, to complete all tasks agreed as required for satisfactory
completion of the study and to be informed of course-related activities and
administration.

Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To complete each of the assessment items satisfactorily, students must achieve
at least 50% of the marks available for each assessment item.

Penalties for late submission of required work:
If students submit assignments after the due date without (prior) approval of
the examiner then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for
the assignment may apply for each working day late up to ten working days at
which time a mark of zero may be recorded. No assignments will be accepted
after model answers have been posted.

Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50%
of the total weighted marks available for the course.

Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The course examiner is responsible for the awarding of the final grade for this
course. Final project reports/papers developed for EDR8061 will be examined
initially by the student's supervisor. The supervisor will make a
recommendation of a grade to the course examiner who will normally accept the
recommended grade once all the requirements for the course are completed.
Where the course examiner has any doubts about the appropriateness of the grade
recommended by the supervisor, and these doubts cannot be resolved through
negotiation with the supervisor, the project will be assessed by a second
assessor nominated by the course examiner in consultation with the supervisor.
The course examiner will then decide the grade, taking into account both
assessments.

Examination information:
There is no formal examination in this course.

Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
There will be no Deferred or Supplementary examinations in this course.

University Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene University policies and practices. These policies can be found at http://policy.usq.edu.au.

Assessment notes

APA style is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use APA style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The APA style to be used is defined by the USQ Library's referencing guide. http://www.usq.edu.au/library/referencing

Other requirements

Students will require access to e-mail and Internet access to UConnect for this course.

Students will require reliable, ongoing access to email and to the internet to be able to complete the requirements of this course.

Students enrolling in ONLINE courses MUST have ongoing convenient and reliable access to the Internet in order to access course materials and participate in activities that will affect assessment. The levels of equipment required may change from time to time, with the most recent specification listed at http://www.usq.edu.au/currentstudents/computingstandards/default.htm. You can check whether your computer system meets these requirements from USQAssist (http://usqassist.usq.edu.au/).